| Informed by theoretical bases in neuroscience, connectionism, cognitive information processing theory, psycholinguistics, and engagement theory, this research involved the study of four cases. Quantitative and qualitative data were examined to determine the effects of a computerized repeated oral reading intervention on reading and language in adults with chronic aphasia and alexia after stroke, and their perceived benefit from the intervention.;Four adults who were a minimum of nine months post-stroke, and their caregivers participated in a home-based intervention. The intervention consisted of 60 hours of practice over a six to seven week period using repeated unison oral reading with WordQ2 text to speech computer software. Researcher-directed intervention occurred twice per week during 12 sessions; participants completed 45 additional hours of the intervention at home with assistance from their caregiver.;The impact of the intervention was determined using standardized and researcher- constructed instruments and informal measures. The pre-intervention assessments were repeated post-intervention. Reading rate and accuracy were measured during the intervention using oral reading of single words and sentence probes from the story material. Results of the research revealed that improvements in oral language occurred for the two right-handed participants with Broca's aphasia, and all four participants improved in single oral word reading. While none of the participants improved in oral reading rate, all participants exhibited improvement in auditory comprehension. In addition, all participants perceived a benefit from the intervention and three of the four participants reported improvements in participation in activities of daily living involving language and literacy. The results of this study suggest that oral language, reading, and auditory comprehension can improve with use of the computerized repeated oral reading intervention. |
